Through Thick and Thin
by Natalie122333
Summary: Takes place at the end of 5x10 (But Not as Cute as Pushkin) What if Lorelai found Luke looking at his dad's boat? The story continues with other times L/L were there for each other, like 4x14. Just some fluff :)
1. Chapter 1

Luke stares at the boat as memories of his father race through this mind. Lorelai was right; he didn't really want to give the boat away. Luke was grateful to have Lorelai in his life. He was happy that their relationship had developed into… something he couldn't really put into words. He remembers that she had said it best: "I don't have very many people in my life who are in my life permanently forever. They will always be there for me. I will always be there for them, you know?" She wasn't sure if he was one of those people, but he assured her that he was. Since they started dating, Luke felt like they had become even closer, that they understood each other in the best possible ways.

Luke clears his head and finally stops staring at the boat. He turns and starts walking out of Lorelai's garage.

"Oh, Luke, I didn't expect to find you here." Lorelai says.

Luke glances at her. He doesn't know what to say to her. He isn't in the right mood to be around her right now. He doesn't want to bring her down.

"Oh, you were looking at the boat." Lorelai says, sounding a little sad.

Luke just nods. Lorelai looks at his face then whispers: "Oh, hon. I'm sorry you're sad." He's surprised when she reaches out and pulls him into her arms. He gives in and lets her hold him; he rests his chin on her shoulder. Lorelai rubs his back and whispers, "It's okay." in his ear. She holds him a little longer until he pulls back.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to see me like this." Luke tells her.

"Luke it's okay, really. I want to be here. I'm here for you, through thick and thin." Lorelai gives him a small smile.

Luke manages to give her a small smile in return.

"Do you want to come inside?" Lorelai asks.

Luke knows she's just wants to try to make him feel better and he appreciates it.  
"Okay." He says simply. He follows her into the house. Once they get inside, they take off their coats and shoes. Luke follows her to the kitchen.

"Do you want some tea?" She asks as she takes a couple mugs out of the cupboard.

"Sure." He replies. Lorelai makes a tea for him, adding the amount of milk and sugar that he likes. She also makes a coffee for herself. She puts the mug down in front of him.

"Thanks." He says.

"You're welcome." She replies. She sits down at the table, across from him. "Luke?" She says to get his attention.

"Yeah?" He asks softly after sipping his tea.

"Um, I think you should think about the good times with your dad… tell me about a happy memory." She looks at him, her lips pressed together.

Luke takes a deep breath, "Well, I do remember this one time we went fishing. I was around ten years old; it was a few months after my mom died… I didn't want to go fishing, but my dad kind of forced me to go. I complained the whole day and we didn't catch a damn thing, until we were just about to call it a day and leave. My dad hooked a fish and he told me to take his rod, I did and it took me a while, but I reeled it in. It was a pretty big fish, and my dad seemed like he was really proud of me. It was the first time I remember felling happy since my mom died. And my dad, he let me reel in the fish that he hooked. He just wanted to see me smile again."

Lorelai's eyes brighten and she gives him a tentative smile. "That's nice. I can tell he loved you."

Luke nods, "Yeah. I'm grateful for the years I had with him. I know he would have… liked to see me have a kid or two though. Jess was only a little kid when he died, and we didn't really see much of him and Liz."

Lorelai just nods. They sit in silence as they finish their drinks.  
"Hey, Luke, do you want to stay here tonight?"

"I'm not very good company right now, but if you want me to, I'll stay." He answers.

Lorelai smiles softly, "I want you to."

They go upstairs and once they're in Lorelai's bedroom, she opens up a drawer of the dresser and pulls out a pair of his sweatpants.  
"You left them here, remember?" She says. He just nods and takes them from her. She leaves to go to the bathroom and he changes his clothes while she's gone. When Lorelai gets back, Luke is already in the bed. She gets in next to him.

"Thank you, for everything." Luke tells her.

She reaches out and gently touches his cheek. "You're welcome."

He pulls her closer and kisses her forehead. "Goodnight." He whispers.

"Night," She responds and she moves over to turn off the bedside lamp. Once she lies down, he reaches out and pulls her closer. She turns to face him then kisses his chin and his cheek. He smiles and kisses her lips gently. They fall asleep facing each other, with his arm around her waist.

The next morning, Lorelai wakes up and reaches for Luke without opening her eyes. When she doesn't feel him next to her, she opens her eyes. "Luke?" She calls out, her voice barely above a whisper. She gets up and walks out of the bedroom. On the way down the stairs, she smells food cooking. When she gets to the kitchen, she sees Luke at the stove. He turns the stove off, turns to her and says:  
"I know, you want to have breakfast at the diner, but I thought it would be nice to have breakfast alone. I'll stop cooking if you really want to go to the diner."

Lorelai smiles, "No, hon, its fine. You're right, being alone _is_ nice… how are you feeling?" She asks a bit hesitantly.

"I'm alright." He replies, his voice calm.

Lorelai walks up to him and wraps her arms around his middle.

"I said I was fine." He tells her. He reaches up and runs his hand down the length of her hair.

"I know. I just wanted to give you a hug. Don't you want affection from your girlfriend?" She teases him.

He smiles and wraps both arms around her. She giggles a little and kisses below his ear. He pulls back a little and pecks her lips. She steps back and smiles, "Good morning."

"Morning," he responds.  
Luke finishes cooking breakfast and they sit and eat together.

Author's note: Thank you for reading. Please feel free to leave a review.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: I decided to add this story. This chapter takes place before the first one, as it's episode 414. I will eventually add a couple of season 6 episodes too. Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a review

"… I'm running out of money, and I don't know what to do about it, and I was gonna, I was gonna ask you for thirty thousand dollars at dinner tonight. That's how pathetic I am." Lorelai finishes telling Luke. She feels his arm around her and he pulls her a tiny bit closer.

"Thirty thousand dollars. Well, okay, I mean if you –" Luke replies.

"I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to think about it." She murmurs, interrupting him. He rubs her arm with his hand and she leans into his chest, wanting to hide her tear- streaked face. She feels him rest his chin on her head and place his hand on her hair, his other arm still wrapped around her shoulder.

"I'm failing…" She tells him, sobbing. He removes his hand from her head. "I'm failing…" She repeats.

Luke pulls her tighter to him, "You are not failing." He tells her frankly. He puts his hand back on her head, trying to comfort her.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do." She admits and she buries her face further into his chest. "I don't know what to do." She says again, quieter this time.

Luke rubs her arm and gently tells her, "It's okay." He holds her as she lets out a shaky breath, which turns into full blown sobs. He smooths her hair gently and whispers,  
"Shh, I'm here. It's okay."

Lorelai lets her tears out, they soak Luke's shirt and she feels bad. He rubs her back and she swears she feels him kiss the top of her head. She decides it's time to collect herself, she shouldn't make him stay all night, even if it feels comforting. She pulls her head away and sits up, faces away from him.

"Lorelai? You okay?" He asks.

She just nods and sniffles.

"I'm sorry; I still don't have that handkerchief." He tells her with a small chuckle, referring to the last time she had cried on his shoulder, when Richard was in the hospital, and he said something about finding the practice "a little revolting."

Lorelai doesn't say anything as she reaches in her pocket to remove some tissues. She wipes her face quickly. She sighs and turns to face Luke.

"Thank you, Luke. You shouldn't have to listen to me blabber on and on about my problems… and I shouldn't have to ask you for help… I, I got myself into this mess, so I shouldn't ask for help to get out of it. I'm sorry I'm so pathetic."

Luke looks at her, his eyes filled with concern. "Hey." He says softly. "You just needed someone to talk to, and you're stressed out. I was here… and its okay, you can talk to be about anything, Lorelai. I'm always here."

Lorelai gives him a small smile, "I know… you're a great guy, Luke, really. Nicole is really lucky to have you." She didn't know why she had mentioned Nicole, maybe because she thought Nicole didn't know how lucky she was to have such a sweet and caring guy like Luke. Maybe it was because she was jealous, but she quickly pushed those thoughts from her mind.

Luke just nods, "How about I take you home?" He asks.

Lorelai agrees, "Okay, let's walk."

They stand up and start walking. Luke puts his hand on Lorelai's shoulder briefly then drops it to his side.

When they get to Lorelai's house, she stops walking and turns to face him.  
"Thanks again, Luke." She says simply.

"No problem." Luke replies.

Lorelai steps closer to him and wraps her arms around him. Luke seems surprised at first, but then he hugs her back. Lorelai wants to kiss his cheek; _It's innocent for friends to kiss each other's cheek, right?_ She thinks. She decides not to do it. Luke is the one to pull away.

"You're sure you're okay, right?" He asks, he tries to look her in the eye, but she won't meet his gaze.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really." She tries to assure him.

"Okay, well… I'll see you tomorrow."

She nods and whispers: "Yep,"

With one last glance at Lorelai, Luke walks away. Lorelai stands on her front steps for a moment before going inside. She still doesn't know what she'll do about the money. Little did she know, Luke had already decided to loan it to her.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: This chapter takes place in 6x01. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review.

"Kids would be good." Lorelai says, and she can't keep the smile off her face even though she knows Luke can't see her face as he isn't facing her.

Luke also smiles. He's thrilled that they're engaged and that she wants to have kids with him. Although, he isn't sure if she's fully aware of what she's saying, as she drank a lot of Zima and she's tired. He moves closer to her and wraps his arm around her waist then places a kiss on her shoulder. He doesn't move his arm and closes his eyes and relaxes, ready to sleep.

A few minutes later, he has a thought. He opens his eyes and gently touches Lorelai. 

"Hey, are you still awake?" He whispers.

Lorelai groans but she whispers, "Yeah, why?"

"Oh, um well… I got so wrapped up in the engagement… and I forgot to ask you if you wanted to talk… about Rory."

Lorelai rolls over and turns to look at him. "Luke, I told you before, I just want to be happy right now. I'm fine, okay?" She tells him calmly, not sounding angry at all.

Luke hesitates before saying, "Are you sure? You can tell me anything you know."

"I'm sure. Goodnight, babe," Lorelai responds quickly and she kisses his lips once before she turns around and moves over a little.

Luke decides not to press her and he reaches out wraps his arm around her again. "Okay, night." He says.

They both fall asleep fast, comfortable being close to each other.

After their brief morning together, Luke doesn't see Lorelai much the next couple days as she keeps herself busy at the Inn. When Kirk comes into the diner looking to sell him a ring, Luke actually takes him up on the offer and finds a ring that would be perfect for Lorelai. He wants to give to her when the moment is right, but he isn't sure when that will be. He keeps the ring box in his pocket when they go on a dinner date. Before they leave, Rory's roommate, Paris comes to Lorelai's house and lets Lorelai know how she feels about Rory dropping out of Yale. This gives Luke the opportunity to ask Lorelai what she's going to do about the situation.

But Lorelai doesn't give Luke the answer he wants. She clearly wants Rory to figure out everything on her own and she isn't going to do anything to help her. Luke isn't okay with Lorelai not doing anything, but he doesn't tell her this. He decides to go along with what she wants. He can't change her mind, and he doesn't want to upset her.

The next night, Babette comes running to Luke and tells him that she needs confirmation on a rumour that there's been a rift between Lorelai and Rory. Luke tells her that Lorelai has it under control. He heads over to Lorelai's house and notices that there is a full moon. He decides it would be nice to give her the ring tonight. Tonight, with the full moon glowing would be the perfect "moment" to give her the ring. He knows Lorelai will be upset when she finds out that the town know about her and Rory. Luke knows that he will have to there for Lorelai while she deals with this and he wants her to have something to be happy about. So, he plans to give her a special "moment".

"Full moon, moment's here." Luke calls out to Lorelai as soon as he steps inside her house. After about a minute, Lorelai appears.

"Hey." Luke greets her. He glances at her face and she tries not to meet his eyes. "Are you okay? You look upset. Have you been crying?" He asks, concerned.

Lorelai sighs, "Um… define 'okay'… but don't worry about it… you said something about a moment?"

Luke stares at her. He can tell that she is not okay. But, he can also see that she is letting him have his 'moment' and he appreciates it. He decides to talk to her after.

"Uh, come outside." He mutters.

"Okay." Lorelai says simply and she follows him outside. Luke stops in the middle of the lawn. He glances up at the moon, which is visible from their spot. Lorelai looks at him, clearly waiting for him to do something.

Luke clears his throat, "Um… so, I know you already proposed and all, but I uh got you this." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the ring box. Lorelai continues to stare at him as he opens the box and reaches for her hand with his other hand. He takes the ring out of the box and awkwardly puts the box back in his pocket.  
"Marry me?" He asks softly.

Lorelai just nods, she's choked up with emotions. She wasn't expecting him to do this. Luke quickly slides the ring onto her ring finger. Once it's on, he pulls away a little, but doesn't let go of her hand. He smiles at her softly and she takes a moment before she speaks.

"Luke, it's beautiful. I… you didn't have to get me a ring. You're too sweet." She drops his hand and brings her hand up to her face to look at the ring more closely. It shines in the moonlight.

The smile doesn't leave Luke's face, "I'm glad you like it and well, I got it because I knew you'd want one and I wanted to get it for you. And Patty and Babette kind of got to me when they seemed disappointed that you proposed to me. I wanted to have my moment, our moment and I was thinking about proposing before anyway."

"Really?" Lorelai asks, surprised.

"Yeah, that's why I wanted the Twickham House, because I want a future with you. I want to marry you. You proposed to me first, but that's fine. I don't mind, we're engaged and I'm happy… and you're happy, right?" Luke looks at her, the hint of a smile on his face.

Lorelai's heart melts. She grins and wraps her arms around his neck and leans in and presses her lips to his. He kisses her back immediately and his arms come around her waist. They pull apart after several sweet, loving kisses. He takes her hand in his again and asks: "You really do like the ring, right?"

Lorelai nods, "Of course. It's beautiful. Where'd you get it?"

Luke sighs, "From Kirk." He tells her bluntly.

"Kirk? He sells jewellery now?" Lorelai asks, confused.

"Actually it's kind of a long story about old ladies that I'd rather not talk about right now. Let's go inside." Luke replies.

"Uh, okay." Lorelai decides not to question him about Kirk.

They go inside and sit down next to each other on the couch.

"Did you talk to Rory today?" He asks right away.

"She had her court date today. I didn't go." Lorelai tells him.

"You really didn't go?" Luke asks and Lorelai nods. "Did you parents tell you how it went?"

"Not exactly, but I assume it went okay and she's not in jail. She probably has to do a lot of community service or something."

Luke nods, "Okay and how are you handling this? You seemed upset when I got here. Talk to me, Lorelai. I'm here." He gently reminds her.

Lorelai gives him a small smile, "I was… upset. I kind of broke down earlier. I don't know what's going on with Rory for like the first time ever. I mean we've had disagreements before, but this is different. She went against me completely and she didn't want to hear what I was saying… and she turned to my parents. She just… really disappointed me, you know?"

Luke nods and he moves closer to her and puts his arm around her shoulders. "I know. You two were almost always on the same page, and now she doesn't want your advice or your opinion. You want her to see it your way, because you know she belongs at Yale and you know what's best for her. It's okay that you're upset about the whole thing. All you want is for her have everything that you didn't have. I get that."

Lorelai nods, "You're right. I just want everything to be right. I want Rory to be home for the summer and go back to Yale in the fall." She sighs heavily.

Luke pulls her closer and she rests her head on his shoulder. "Everything's going to be okay. I'm sure Rory will come around eventually. She just needs time."

"Yeah, I hope so." Lorelai replies simply and she sighs again.

Luke kisses the top of her head. "You want to go to bed?" He asks softly.

Lorelai nods. Luke gets up and offers his hand to Lorelai. She grabs it and he gently pulls her up. They head upstairs to Lorelai's room.

They get ready for bed quickly and get in and settle on the bed. Luke kisses Lorelai and says "Goodnight."

"'Night," Lorelai says back and she snuggles up close to him after he turns off the light.


	4. Chapter 4

Lorelai sat in Luke's bed and thought about the conversation she had just had with him. She had told him that she wants to wait until things are right between her and Rory to set a wedding date. He was telling her about how he had to take Paul Anka to the vet's house, because he ate some baking chocolate and how he had to chocolate-proof the diner and his apartment so that it would never happen again. Lorelai didn't even thank him for what he did for her dog, she just blurted out that she wanted to wait to set a wedding date. And Luke just said "Okay," and went downstairs to make Paul Anka some scrambled eggs with cheddar.

 _God, I'm an awful fiancée, I have this sweet guy who doesn't even like dogs, but he takes care of my dog when I'm working and I didn't even thank him! I just told him that we can't set a wedding date until I make up with my daughter, and who knows when that will be!"_ Lorelai thinks to herself. She decides to get up and go downstairs to talk to Luke to make sure he knows she appreciates him and to make sure he is okay with not setting a wedding date.

She heads downstairs and finds Luke in the kitchen of the diner. He turns away from the stove when he hears her approaching.

"Hey, I thought you went back to sleep. It's only a little after seven." Luke seems concerned about her lack of sleep.

Lorelai just steps behind him and wraps her arm around him.

Luke was surprised, she wasn't usually this affectionate. "The eggs are going to burn if you distract me." He warns her.

Lorelai drops her arms. "Sorry. I just wanted to say thank you, for taking care of Paul Anka. I know you're not exactly fond of him."

Luke smiles, even though he knows she can't see his face. "You're welcome. I'm, well… fond of _you_ and I knew I couldn't let him die. You would never forgive me." He says in a low voice.

"Well, you're the best." Lorelai says simply and she rubs his shoulder gently.

Luke doesn't say anything as he finishes cooking the eggs. He turns the burner off and grabs a bowl then puts the eggs in it. Lorelai follows him back upstairs. He places the bowl in front of Paul Anka, who's sleeping on a cushion. His nose twitches and he opens his eyes. He stares at the bowl for a few seconds before he starts eating.

"Aww, he likes it!" Lorelai says excitedly.

"Good for him." Luke deadpans.

"Luke?" Lorelai says to get his attention.

"Yeah?" He responds.

"Thank you again for taking care of him and making the eggs."

"No problem." Luke says quickly.

"And, um thank you… for agreeing to not set a wedding date until things are right with Rory. You're really okay with it right?" She asks a bit hesitantly.

"Of course I am. I want Rory to be there too." Luke tells her.

Lorelai smiles softly, "Okay, good. It's just that Sookie was kind of harassing me about planning the wedding and I didn't know how you felt about the whole thing… but we're good and I'm glad."

Luke nods, "We're good."

Lorelai steps closer to him and wraps her arms around his neck and leans in and kisses him. Luke is surprised for a split second, but then he kisses her back. They pull apart after a few short, sweet kisses.

Lorelai grins at him, "Come back to bed with me?" She asks with a pout.

"Well, I did already call Caesar last night and I asked him to open today. So, I guess I could relax for a little while." Luke smirks.

"Come here." Lorelai grabs his hand and tugs him back to the bed. They lie down and Lorelai pulls the covers over herself and snuggles close to Luke.

"I'm gonna take a nap, just sleep a little longer before I have to go to the Inn." Lorelai tells him.

"Okay." Luke replies in a gentle voice and as he begins to run his hand down the length of her hair and play with it a little.

Lorelai sighs happily and closes her eyes. She falls asleep in about fifteen minutes. Luke doesn't sleep, but he rests his eyes and stays with her until she wakes up.

Author's note: Thank you for reading. Although the reviews aren't showing up on the site right now, I see them in my email. So, feel free to leave a review.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey. You can pull link sausages out of me if you want." Luke tells Lorelai. Lorelai closes her eyes for a second and smiles to herself before she faces him and smiles at him. Luke returns her smile before he turns his attention back to the road. She knows he is trying to make her feel better and she loves him for it.

"So, uh Rory introduced me as her stepfather-to-be tonight." Luke says.

Lorelai smiles softly, "That's nice." She distracted thinking about what she said to Rory.

Luke takes one hand off the steering wheel and puts it on Lorelai's leg. He rubs it gently a few times then puts his hand back on the steering wheel. The rest of the drive back to Stars Hollow is silent. When they get to town, Luke asks: "You asked Babette to look after Paul Anka right?"

Lorelai just nods.  
"Okay. Want to stay at my place since the bed is still in the living room at your place?" Luke asks.

"Sure." Lorelai replies simply.

They drive to the diner. When they arrive, Luke gets out of the truck first and walks around to the passenger side to open the door for Lorelai. He offers her a hand to help her down and he doesn't let go of her hand as they walk into the diner together. They walk upstairs to the apartment and once they get there, they silently change their clothes. Lorelai grabs Luke's flannel that she claimed on their first date. Luke smiles when he sees her wearing it, as she hasn't worn it in a while.

"Do want to watch a movie or something?" Lorelai asks. She doesn't want to sleep yet.

"Sure." Luke agrees.

They sit on the couch and Luke hands her the remote. She finds a re-run of a sitcom and leaves it on. Luke moves closer to her stretches his arm out. Lorelai notices this and leans against him; he moves his arm and wraps it around her shoulders. They sit and watch the T.V. for a few minutes before Lorelai starts crying. She doesn't make a noise as tears fall down her cheeks.

Luke glances at her face and grabs the remote and mutes the T.V.  
"Lorelai?" He says gently.

Lorelai just presses her face into his chest. Her tears soak his t-shirt. Luke can tell she's upset about Rory. He holds her close and rubs her back gently. "Shh, it's okay." He whispers, even though he knows it's not okay.

A sob escapes her and Lorelai pulls her head away from Luke. She looks at him and he meets her gaze. He reaches up and wipes at her tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"Want to talk about it?" He asks gently, he doesn't want to push her.

Lorelai bits her lip, but nods. She moves so that her back is against a cushion and Luke moves to face her. "I just didn't imagine that her twenty first birthday would be like this." She says quietly.

"I know. You told me what you two had planned… what did you to talk about at the party?" He asks gently.

"Not much. I told her that we're making the bedroom bigger and I told her I got a dog. She got pulled away when people started singing 'happy birthday'." She sighs.

"Oh." Luke isn't sure how to respond.

"I should have told her that I miss her, that I want her to come home. I'm such an idiot." Lorelai mutters.

Luke shakes his head, "You're not an idiot. You're just not sure how to talk to her. I mean, both of you are persistent and sure that you're right… I don't know, I just think Rory is probably feeling the same way right now. I don't think she knew what to say to you either. You're just not used to being apart."

Lorelai nods, "Yeah, I guess so." She feels tears prickle her eyes again, so she wipes at her eyes.

"If Rory doesn't come home soon, I think you need to tell her how you're feeling." Luke says a bit hesitantly.

Lorelai looks at him, "You're right. I don't want this to carry on much longer, I just…" She stops and looks down. She feels another sob coming.

Luke looks at her with a bleak expression. He just wants her and Rory to be happy. He misses Rory too. He moves closer to her and puts a hand on her shoulder. She glances up at him, fresh tears on her cheeks. He stands up and says, "Lorelai."

She stands up and he pulls her into his embrace. He holds her tight and she cries silently. "I'll be there if you talk to her, if you want me to." He whispers.

"I need you." Lorelai whispers back.

"I'm here, always." Luke replies simply. He gently rubs her back again and holds her until she stops crying.

When Lorelai pulls away, she looks at him and says, "I love you."

Luke smiles, "I love you too." He picks up the remote and turns off the T.V.  
"Come on, let's go to bed."

"Yeah," Lorelai agrees. Luke walks over and turns off the light before they walk over to the bed and get in. Luke turns off the bedside lamp. Lorelai moves close to him and wraps her arm around his middle. Luke wraps his arm around her shoulders and says, "Goodnight."

"Night, hon… kiss?" She asks as she moves her head and looks up at him. He gives her a quick kiss. She smiles and relaxes, snuggles up to him. They fall asleep fast.

Author's note: Thank you for reading, following and reviewing this story. I just want to mention that my other story, _I'll Always Be Here_ fits in with this story, so I won't be writing a chapter for episode 6x08. The next chapter will be the last one and it will not be canon to the show, it will be my own idea.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: This chapter takes place in season 5 or 6 (after 5x12 but before 6x09), when Luke and Lorelai were together. It will be the last chapter of this story. Thank you for the reviews, favourites and follows.

"Coffee, coffee, coffee," Lorelai calls out as she enters the diner. She walks up to the counter and sits on a stool as Luke walks out of the kitchen.

"Hey." Lorelai grins at him.

"Hi. Coffee to go?" Luke responds.

Lorelai's face drops. "To stay, I'm on my lunch break. I'll take a burger and fries too."

"All right," Luke replies simply and he goes to the back to make her food.

Lorelai looks around the diner and notices that there is only one other customer, a man sitting a table, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee.

"Woah, it's dead in here." Lorelai says.

"Yeah, I just sent Caesar home. I don't know where everyone is, but I don't really care." Luke steps out the kitchen when he finishes putting the burger on the grill and the fries in the fryer.

"So… can we go make out in the storeroom then?" Lorelai asks in a flirty tone.

"No," Luke says flatly as he puts a new filter in the coffee maker.

"I was just kidding." Lorelai rolls her eyes. "Are you in a bad mood or something?" She knew he was never particularly cheerful, but he was usually more talkative than this.

"I'm just not really feeling well. I never get sick, but my nose is all stuffed up and I've been coughing." He tells her.

"Oh," Lorelai thinks for a few seconds. "You're right, you never get sick. It's probably just a cold though." She shrugs.

Luke just nods and heads back to the kitchen to finish cooking. Lorelai sits and taps her hand on the counter, waiting a bit impatiently. Luke comes out a few minutes later with her food. He sets the plate in front of her then pours the coffee and places it in front of her too.

Lorelai smiles sweetly at him, "Thanks, babe,"

"You're welcome." He gives her a small smile.

Lorelai takes a couple bites and sips her coffee. He watches her. She frowns at him, "Why don't you sit down?" She pats the stool next to her.

Luke doesn't say anything as he takes the seat next to her.

"Want a fry?" Lorelai teases him.

Luke just raises his eyebrows. He knows she isn't being serious. "How's your day going?" He asks.

Lorelai swallows her food before she answers. "Well, it's actually been pretty slow at the Inn too. There aren't many guests at the moment. I've just been doing boring paperwork all morning."

Luke nods. "If things are still slow here after a few hours I'll probably close early."

"Okay. I'll come over after work." Lorelai responds. Luke had early deliveries the next morning and Lorelai usually slept over on those nights as she didn't like spending the night apart.

Luke liked that she spent the night with him, but he didn't want her catching his cold. He didn't tell her this though, as he expected that she would protest. He nods again, letting her know that it would be okay for her to come over.

Lorelai keeps eating and they chat a little more. When she finishes eating, Lorelai downs the rest of her coffee.

Before Luke gets up, he has a coughing fit.

"You okay?" Lorelai asks, concerned.

Luke nods. "I'll be fine." He stands up and Lorelai puts a hand on his arm to stop him from walking away.

"Okay. I'll see you later hon." Lorelai quickly kisses his cheek. She grins and Luke gives her a small smile in return. She leaves.

When Lorelai returns to the diner that night, she finds it closed. She reaches up for the key that is usually on top of the door frame, but finds it missing. She frowns and grabs her cell phone from her purse and dials Luke's home phone number. He picks up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me the door is locked. Come let me in please."

"Oh, sorry. I'll be down there in a minute." Luke had been resting on his bed. He was almost asleep when the phone rang. He checks the time and sees that it's just past nine o' clock.

Lorelai waits a few minutes and she smiles when she sees Luke heading towards the door. He unlocks the door and Lorelai rushes inside.

"Did you forget I was coming over?" She asks with a little pout.

"I just kind of lost track of time," Luke tells her.

Lorelai just shrugs and they head upstairs. Once they get upstairs, Lorelai mutters: "Ugh,"

"What?" Luke asks.

"I forgot to get some pie. You have some left right?"

"Yeah, there's a bit of apple pie left." Luke replies.

"Okay. I'll be right back." Lorelai practically runs back downstairs. She returns a couple minutes later, carrying a piece of pie.

She finds Luke lying in bed with the covers pulled up to his chin. She stares at him, a little bewildered.

"Aww honey, are you still feeling sick?" She asks with a troubled look.

Luke nods, "It's getting to be annoying. I never get sick and this is a bad cold."

Lorelai gives him a sympathetic smile, "You'll be okay. I'll play doctor and help you get better." She says in a flirty tone.

Luke frowns. "You don't have to help me. I don't want you getting sick too."

Lorelai walks over to the bed and places the pie on the nightstand on her side. She stands next to the bed and faces Luke. "I appreciate that you care about my well-being and all, but I care about yours too. I'm staying here and keeping you company and to make sure that you aren't too miserable." She raises her eyebrows and gives him a soft smile.

Luke doesn't want to argue. "All right, suit yourself." He says gruffly.

Lorelai nods and walks over to a chair where the blue flannel that she usually wears is sitting. She picks it and walks into the bathroom. Luke shuts his eyes and tries to relax.

Lorelai returns a few minutes later wearing the flannel. She gets in bed and picks up the pie and starts eating. Luke tries to sleep but his nose is all stuffy, so he sits up and gets a Kleenex and tries to blow it.

Lorelai pats his arm gently, "Do you have any medicine?"

Luke shakes his head. "Nah, I prefer to use natural remedies. I drank a lot of liquids and now I just need to rest."

Lorelai shrugs. "All right, if you say so."

Luke lies back down and his brow furrows as he has a thought. "Aren't you going to turn on the T.V.?" He asks.

Lorelai slowly shakes her head. "I'm gonna finish eating my pie then go to sleep." She says matter-of-factly.

Luke just gives her a tiny smile and closes his eyes again.

Lorelai quickly finishes the pie and places the tray on the nightstand. She turns off the lamp on her side, the only light on in the room. She rolls over and whispers: "Good night." Before she presses a quick kiss to his cheek,

Luke grunts but he doesn't really sound unhappy. Lorelai can tell he isn't actually upset that she's here.

The next morning, Lorelai is surprised to wake up before Luke. He is snoring softly next to her. She moves slowly and quietly to not disturb him. She gets out of bed and walks over to the bathroom. A couple minutes later, the sound of the shower wakes Luke up. He sniffles and pulls the covers off. He lies there in silence; he doesn't feel like he has the energy to get up.

Lorelai comes out of the bathroom ten minutes later. She's only wearing a towel. She notices Luke's awake, "Oh, hey. How'd you sleep?"

Luke gives her a warm look. "I slept okay. You?"

Lorelai smiles, "I slept okay too." She walks around the apartment and stops by the door. She picks up the duffel bag full of clothes that she keeps at Luke's place. She unzips the bag and pulls some clothes out.

Luke sits up keeps his eyes on her as she starts getting dressed. He grunts, "Lorelai."

Lorelai finishes getting dressed and turns to him, "Hmm?"

"Never mind," Luke replies in a low voice.

"Hey, it's after eight, didn't you have early deliveries this morning?" Lorelai walks over to stand in front of the bed.

"No. I called the guy last night and cancelled them. He's gonna come later this week instead."

"Oh. Well, I'm gonna head to the Inn. Do you need anything before I go?" She says with a small smile.

Luke starts to say no, but he has another coughing fit.

Lorelai moves closer to him and reaches down to rub his back. "Aww, hon that doesn't sound too good,"

Luke shakes his head and clears his throat. "Caesar is covering for me and I'll only get out of bed if I need to. I'll be fine, don't worry."

Lorelai hesitates before answering, "Maybe some chicken noodle soup will do you some good. Do you have any here?"

"No, I don't think I do." Luke replies simply.

"Hmm. Well, I can ask Sookie to make you some."

"I guess… if it's not too much trouble." Luke says slowly.

"Yeah, it should be fine. Okay, you stay in bed. I'll be back later." Lorelai pats his head teasingly.

Luke nods. "I'll see you later then… and thank you." He smiles softly.

"Anytime, doll." Lorelai returns his smile. She turns around and walks out the door.

Lorelai returns later that day and spends time with Luke. They watch T.V. together and Lorelai makes sure he keeps up his appetite and drinks frequently. Luke gets better in a few days and thanks Lorelai again for taking care of him.


End file.
